Why Is Jimmy Carter Going to North Korea?

In a development first reported
by Foreign Policy, it appears that Jimmy Carter will be informally
dispatched to North Korea in hopes of securing the release of a United
States citizen who crossed the border and was caught by authorities. The ex-president, who has remade himself into one of the
nation's highest-profile diplomats after a single term in office, has
previously engaged with North Korea during the Clinton years and most
recently spearheaded
house-building projects in Thailand and Vietnam.

But the choice of a
political outsider signals to some critics that the Obama administration
would like to distance themselves from the good-will mission. Pundits
weigh in on the choice:

The Goal: Free a Bostonian Toiling in a Labor Camp After the State Department failed to secure the release of Aijalon Mahli Gomes, Jimmy Carter was tapped, writes
Newsweek's Ravi Somaiya. "North Korea-watchers feel that the visit may
even mark a positive step in the frosty relationship between the country
and the rest of the world," though Somaiya concedes that Carter may not thaw relations because he's,"not expected, or
allowed, to discuss wider issues [and] he often goes off-message in such
circumstances." The administration had also considered John Kerry or Bill
Richardson, but eventually settled on the ex-president.

This Is the Second Attempt at Securing a Releaseobserve
Jack Kim and Jeremy Laurence at Reuters. "The U.S. State Department
said last week that a four-person team had gone to Pyongyang in August
to secure the release of Gomes but was not successful," they write. The
visit also takes place at a time of particularly heightened tension in
Pyongyang because of the recent sinking of a South Korean warship allegedly by North Korean forces.

He's Traveling as a Private Citizenreports Josh Rogin at Foreign Policy, much in the same way that, "former President Bill Clinton traveled to Pyongyang last August to bring home
Current TV reporters." The writer notes that the Obama administration
has stressed the fact that the trip will be a "private humanitarian
effort" and is trying its hardest not to conflate Carter's mission with
Obama's strategy for North Korea. "But although Carter doesn't have
official sanctioning to wade into North Korea policymaking, he might
just do it anyway. Carter is known for having an independent streak,
boldly taking on foreign-policy issues whether invited to do so or not."

Carter Always Dabbles in Foreign Affairsscoffs Don Surber at The Daily Mail, who points to an article
describing how Carter undercut Bill Clinton's aims for North Korea in
the early 1990's. At the very least, reckons Surber, "Carter may
actually be an improvement over Obama and Hillary Clinton."

North Korea Has Agreed to Release Gomes If Carter Comes for Him notes Politics Daily correspondent Tom Diemer, who cites Associated Press sources. "It is not clear why Gomes, who was teaching English in South Korea, crossed into the North" in the first place. Which raises the question...

Will North Korea Keep Capturing Americans Until It Gets a Photo-Op From Every Ex-President?quips Wonkette. "This week's lucky winner of a guided tour of scenic Pyongyang: Jimmy Carter."

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